Parenthood and the Gender Gap in Pay

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Labor Economics
Year: 2016
Volume: 34
Issue: 3
Pages: 545 - 579

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We compare the income and wage trajectories of women to those of their male partners before and after parenthood. Focusing on the within-couple gap allows us to control for both observed and unobserved attributes of the spouse and to estimate both short- and long-term effects of entering parenthood. We find that 15 years after the first child has been born, the male-female gender gaps in income and wages have increased by 32 and 10 percentage points, respectively. In line with a collective labor supply model, the magnitude of these effects depends on counterfactual relative incomes or wages within the family.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/684851
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-24